More than 30 years have passed since Metallica’s release of …And Justice for All and the debate over the lack of bass in its mix is still going on.
Recently, the band’s frontman and lead singer James Hetfield gave an interview to fan magazine So What! and defended the band’s choice.
The singer denied the claim that turning the bass down was some sort of hazing towards then-newcomer bass player Jason Newsted and claimed the band just tried to get the best sound possible.
“The goal was to have the album sound f***g tight,” said Hetfield. “We wanted the snare, we wanted the guitar, we wanted everything up front and in your face and really tight. And we thought we got it.”
He admitted however that the band was fatigued at the time and that the constant touring and recording may have played a part in the album’s sound.
“We’re turning the high end up more and more and more and all of a sudden, low end’s gone,” he said.
Hetfield also reiterated the band’s refusal to remix the album, saying that it would be like changing history and that there in nothing to apologize about the album the way it is now.
